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More girls seek antenatal care, says FAWE report
What you need to know:
- The report, which was released in December 2022, shows that the number of pregnancies of girls aged 10 to 14 increased from 290 to 1,353, representing a 36 percent increase.
A report by the Forum for Africa Women Educationalists (FAWE) in Uganda, has revealed that the number of adolescents seeking their first antenatal care appointment increased from just over 80,000 to more than 98,000 (an increase of 22.5 percent) in the past year.
The report, which was released in December 2022, shows that the number of pregnancies of girls aged 10 to 14 increased from 290 to 1,353, representing a 36 percent increase.
“Similarly, the impact of child marriage on intimate partner violence is generally very large in Uganda associated with child marriage. There is an urgent need to accelerate global action to end child marriage,” the report reads.
It added: “Preventing child marriage means a girl is less likely to experience gender-based violence and early childbearing and more likely to stay in school, and increases her later earnings. Child marriage and early pregnancies explain up to 30 percent of dropout for girls in secondary school.”
Similarly, a study supported by United Nations Population Fund (2021) found that more than 350,000 teenage pregnancies were registered in 2020 and just over 290,000 teenage pregnancies were registered between January and September 2021, implying an average of more than 32,000 teenage pregnancies recorded per month.
Study
A 2017 World Bank study revealed that ending child marriage could generate by 2030 up to $2.7 billion (Shs1.7 trillion) in annual benefits to Uganda.
In addition, women’s earnings would be higher if they had been able to avoid marrying early. This loss in earnings was estimated at more than $500 million (Shs1.9 trillion).
This was attributed to the school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic. This exposed and further exacerbated the situation of girls.
Ms Louise Ellis, the deputy British High Commissioner, said the country has and continues to witness unprecedented levels of defilement, domestic violence, and sexual abuse which resulted in increased teenage pregnancies and child marriages.
“Despite the scale of the problem, gender-based violence is preventable. The role that girls’ education can play in ending violence against women and girls cannot be overstated. Keeping girls in school helps reduce the risk of child marriage and early childbearing,” she said.
Ms Ellis added that girls’ education is a powerful investment. She said the benefits are wide-ranging enough to stop poverty in its tracks.
“It isn’t just a matter of individual fairness; it’s about the strength and resilience of communities and nations. That’s why it is a top priority for the UK,” she said.
